BIOVIA SOLUTIONS BLOG

TRENDS IN SCIENCE

Take Advantage of Everything Boston Has to Offer on Your Night Off

The following is a guest post by Sean McGee, Solution Marketing Manager, BIOVIA.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons User Robmyskis

After three crazy days of sessions at Science in the Age of Experience, conference attendees get a night off to explore the city of Boston. As one of the oldest cities in the country, Bean Town’s rich history offers something for everyone. Whether you would like to take a walk through time and visit some of the actual sites where key events in the Revolutionary War occurred, catch a game at the oldest ballpark in the country, view one of the most extensive collections of art in the world or explore the vibrant restaurant scene, Boston truly has something for everyone to enjoy. Here are a few of our recommendations:

The Freedom Trail
This 2.5-mile long trail runs through the heart of downtown Boston, passing by 16 historically significant sites dating from before the Revolutionary War. Take a step back in history and follow the red brick road to the Boston Commons, Faneuil Hall, Samuel Adam’s House, the Old North Church, Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution. This walking tour of the city provides a unique way to experience and connect with the history of the founding of our country. The trail starts just over a mile from the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel at the Boston Common Visitor Center near the intersection of Tremont and West St.

Fenway Park
The home of the Boston Red Sox and the oldest baseball stadium in the United States, Fenway Park stands as an icon of the history of America’s Pastime. Located just a mile from the Boston Marriott Copley Place, a short twenty-minute walk will place you in the heart of New England baseball. Be sure to take the time to explore all the unique quirks of the stadium—from the Green Monster and its Ladder to Nowhere to Ted William’s Red Seat—and snag a Fenway Frank as the Red Sox take on the Colorado Rockies this week. All game times start at 7:10 pm EST.

Museum of Fine Arts
Opened on the Centennial of the United States on July 4, 1876, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts houses nearly half a million pieces in its extensive collections, covering everything from ancient Egyptian to contemporary works. It is noteworthy for housing some of the largest collections of Chinese and Japanese art outside of Asia, works from Impressionist and post-Impressionist artists like as Paul Gauguin, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Van Gogh and Cézanne, and 18th- and 19th-century American artists like John Singleton Copley, Winslow Homer and John Singer Sargent. However, it is also home to The Athenaeum, the unfinished portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart that has graced the front of the one dollar bill for over a century. The museum is just a short one-mile walk from the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel.

Places to Eat
Boston’s rich history has allowed it to grow and shape its own unique cuisine, which in turn has helped seed a burgeoning restaurant scene. Discover the many facets Boston has to offer steps away from the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel. For some of the arguably best seafood in the city, visit one of the many locations for Legal Seafood (100 Huntington Ave.). Be sure to grab a lobster roll or its famous clam chowder, which has been served at every Presidential inauguration since Ronald Reagan’s in 1980. Stop by Boston’s “Little Italy:” the North End (north of Cross St. on the peninsula). Home to a collection of small, family-owned Italian restaurants juxtaposed by hot, new boutiques, it is a singular destination to eat, shop and explore. For a true Boston institution, the Union Oyster House (41 Union St.) has been serving traditional New England seafood to patrons for almost two centuries. Founded in 1826, it is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States. Visit No. 9 Park (9 Park St.) for a more modern, avant-garde experience. Run by James Beard Award-winner and Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef Barbara Lynch, it is consistently ranked as one of the top restaurants in the country.

Be sure to take advantage of the open night to take in all the city has to offer! Thursday morning kicks off the second half of Science in the Age of Experience with twelve hours of hands-on training sessions.